Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Coconut Sauce and Roasted-Pepper Rice Pilaf

Preparation 1. Make white rice according to the directions on the package . . . Set aside . . . 2. Roast the red pepper. (To do this, remove the burner on a gas stove and hold the pepper with tongs over the open flame until its skin blackens — and open your windows to let out the fumes. If you don't have a gas stove, fire up your broiler, cut the pepper in half, and place it skin-side up on a cookie sheet under the broiler. Once the skin is black, let it cool.) Set aside . . . 3. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a pan, and sauté spinach with a little fresh minced garlic and some white wine vinegar . . . 4. Towel-dry cooked spinach (so that when you add it to the rice, the moisture in the cooked spinach doesn't make the rice sticky) . . . set aside to let the spinach dry further . . . 5. Cut up the roasted red pepper into bite-sized pieces and add to rice . . . 6. Add spinach to the rice and fluff the rice, mixing the red pepper, rice, and spinach into an attractive pilaf . . . set aside . . . on a low burner if you'd like to keep it warm . . .keep an eye on it so it doesn't overcook or scorch . . . 7. Pour about 1/4 cup of coconut milk into a sauté pan . . . 8. Add equal parts sugar and wasabi powder (around two or three tablespoons each . . . whatever your taste) to the coconut milk as you gradually increase heat to allow the sugar and wasabi to melt into the coconut milk . . . be careful not to scorch . . . set aside . . . over low heat to keep warm . . . careful not to let the sauce break up . . . not too much heat . . . 9. Over high heat . . . in a cast-iron skillet . . . with a touch of olive oil if you like . . . pan-sear the tuna . . . rare . . . or to your liking . . . 10. Put the rice pilaf onto a plate . . . put the tuna on top of the rice . . . and ladle some of the wasabi-coconut sauce over the tuna . . . shredded coconut makes a nice garnish on this one . . . as does parsley. Reprinted with permission from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands by Kara Zuaro, (C) 2007 Hyperion

Preparation 1. Make white rice according to the directions on the package . . . Set aside . . . 2. Roast the red pepper. (To do this, remove the burner on a gas stove and hold the pepper with tongs over the open flame until its skin blackens — and open your windows to let out the fumes. If you don't have a gas stove, fire up your broiler, cut the pepper in half, and place it skin-side up on a cookie sheet under the broiler. Once the skin is black, let it cool.) Set aside . . . 3. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a pan, and sauté spinach with a little fresh minced garlic and some white wine vinegar . . . 4. Towel-dry cooked spinach (so that when you add it to the rice, the moisture in the cooked spinach doesn't make the rice sticky) . . . set aside to let the spinach dry further . . . 5. Cut up the roasted red pepper into bite-sized pieces and add to rice . . . 6. Add spinach to the rice and fluff the rice, mixing the red pepper, rice, and spinach into an attractive pilaf . . . set aside . . . on a low burner if you'd like to keep it warm . . .keep an eye on it so it doesn't overcook or scorch . . . 7. Pour about 1/4 cup of coconut milk into a sauté pan . . . 8. Add equal parts sugar and wasabi powder (around two or three tablespoons each . . . whatever your taste) to the coconut milk as you gradually increase heat to allow the sugar and wasabi to melt into the coconut milk . . . be careful not to scorch . . . set aside . . . over low heat to keep warm . . . careful not to let the sauce break up . . . not too much heat . . . 9. Over high heat . . . in a cast-iron skillet . . . with a touch of olive oil if you like . . . pan-sear the tuna . . . rare . . . or to your liking . . . 10. Put the rice pilaf onto a plate . . . put the tuna on top of the rice . . . and ladle some of the wasabi-coconut sauce over the tuna . . . shredded coconut makes a nice garnish on this one . . . as does parsley. Reprinted with permission from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands by Kara Zuaro, (C) 2007 Hyperion